Snowpiercer EP Breaks Down Finale Twists, Including Melanie’s Fate — But Teases [Spoiler]’s Season 3 Return
The following contains major spoilers from Snowpiercer‘s two-hour Season 2 finale.
How did TNT‘s Snowpiercer possibly one-up its freshman finale, which turned two trains into one?
How about by veritably exploding one train into two — and then having the streamlined, 10-car “pirate train” double back to find stranded engineer Melanie… only to have Layton (Daveed Diggs) and Alex (Rowan Blanchard) discover she didn’t survive her elongated isolation at the research station.
Or did she?
TVLine spoke with executive producer Becky Clements of Tomorrow Studios about Melanie’s fate, the train’s newest world order, Season 3’s new arrival and more.
TVLINE | Talk about the plan to stretch out Melanie’s fate for the second half of the season. Was that about you losing Jennifer Connelly at a certain point, but you wanted to keep the character “around” a bit longer?
Basically, yes. Jennifer has been such a great partner in this and also has a very busy professional life…. [Showrunner] Graeme [Manson] knew very early on, so he and the writing team came up with this really great idea of the research station and then the “time collision” that took us to the end of the season. Having the ticking clock of “We need to make sure we have some place to be at a certain time!” is always valuable, and with a very limiting Wilford always wondering what is happening. When that creative decision came up early in the season break, it was exciting to hear. It’s always fun to have a strong emotional reaction to a creative pitch.
TVLINE | It also planted a mystery for a couple of episodes. “We saw what Melanie saw, but what will lead to that shocking moment?”
Exactly. We always talk about the show as multiple genres mashed up into one. There is character drama, of course, but it’s also a genre show, and it’s also action-adventure. We’re always trying to give the audience a little taste of all three in every episode.
TVLINE | It took Snowpiercer 30 days to circle back for Melanie. In your mind, how long did it take Layton’s “10-car pirate train” to make it back to the research station? How much longer did Melanie have to last? Was it one week, was it three…?
It wasn’t three weeks. I want to say we landed somewhere around five or six days, though I don’t remember ultimately what it was.
TVLINE | Because I was surprised she went through the rats so quickly. There seemed to be a good-sized nest of them by the thermal vent.
Ultimately, they weren’t fat. [Laughs] There’s not a lot of meat on a rat like that.
TVLINE | You did kind of leave the door open. I mean, Melanie wasn’t found dead. She could have been discovered and rescued by some group of nomads we didn’t know existed….
She could; that might be “jumping the shark” a bit based on everything we expressed thus far, but….
TVLINE | She is done for, we shouldn’t be speculating?
I don’t know if I’m going on record that she is “done for,” but I don’t know that she is alive.
TVLINE | Have viewers seen the last of Jennifer Connelly?
We are pleased that Jennifer will join us for Season 3.
TVLINE | By the end of Season 1, I had no doubt that Josie (Katie McGuinness) had frozen to death after her fight with Melanie. So when she showed up in Season 2, it seemed like you had reconsidered that character’s fate.
It’s funny — we actually shot her recovery scene for Season 1. So you were going to have the Josie story answered by the end of Season 1, but instead it was a cliffhanger we put into Season 2.
TVLINE | What value did you see in keeping the character around?
We adore Katie; I always describe that character, particularly from Season 1, as sort of the emotional and moral center of the tail. No matter what plans existed, it was Katie’s performance of that character, her vulnerability and expressions of love toward all of the tail, that stood out. She’s sort of the “mom,” and there was something about when she spoke that as extremely powerful. We thought it would be interesting to take someone who is always so sure in how they approach a situation have the “genre piece” affect her, and see what she does if there’s a bit of a “superhero” augmentation. That was the idea behind it.
TVLINE | At the very end of the finale, Ben warns Layton, Josie and Till, “We have some weather ahead.” Is weather almost a new character for Season 3?
Yes, it is definitely a new character. Climate change is something that Graeme is always discussing, and it’s such a strong topic that we all have very strong feelings about. But it’s also a difficult topic, because it can paralyze people — everyone wants to help, many are not sure what to do, but it is on everyone’s mind.
We need to keep reminding people that we have to take care of our Earth, and how fragile a moment we are in in. That’s part of it. But also, [weather brings] the idea of hope. We are organisms that are a part of something bigger, and the possibility of the Earth being able to repair itself is hopeful.
TVLINE | But does weather present a potential danger to our heroes? As things warm up, like, could tracks get flooded out…?
Very much so, yes. I don’t know that we will be doing flooding in Season 3, but there is definitely an adjustment, including to the train and how it operates — how quickly is the engine warming up? Can we be self-sufficient in this environment? It’s a really transitional moment for Snowpiercer and the pirate train, as well as with regards to what can exist out in the world.
TVLINE | It sure looks like Miss Audrey (Lena Hall) legitimately fell back under Wilford’s sway….
She did, that troublemaker. Yes, she did. She was torn, because she knows she is in love with someone who is perhaps pure evil, but she cant help how she feels.
TVLINE | How worried should we be that an outwitted, already-psychotic Wilford (Sean Bean) is now in charge of a 1,000-car train, unchecked?
You should be concerned. You should be concerned. There are a couple people there to possibly rein him in — Ruth (Alison Wright) is there — but you should be concerned. An unchecked Wilford is not good. But it sure is fun to watch Sean play that! [Laughs]
TVLINE | Is Season 3 almost a bit of a chase movie, between the two trains?
There will be some chasing, but it will not be the full season. We definitely have lots of narratives happening. There’s survival, there’s [what happened to] Melanie, there’s research on the train, there’s the ultimate goal….
TVLINE | Because Layton wants to catch up to and get back their train, but Wilford surely won’t want that to happen.
They definitely have different agendas. They will never see eye to eye.
TVLINE | I suppose that fish is now off the menu for everyone….
I know! It’s kind of sad…. But wasnt that visual effect fantastic? [Visual effects supervisor Geoff Scott and visual effects producer Darren Bell] did a great job with that.
TVLINE | I need to know, was that supposed to be an actual Ferris wheel inside of the carnival car…?
We had something people sat in, yeah! But here’s the thing: We had to shoot the carnival after we had to shut down for COVID, so while it was incredible and they did a great job, it was potentially going to be on a larger scale and with more people involved.
TVLINE | And lastly, looking to Season 3: Where is the new character played by Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) going to materialize from?
Ohhh, that will make Season 3 super-exciting — definitely a reason to tune in. It’s kind of a collision of all the things we discussed, coming together.
Want more scoop on Snowpiercer, or for any other show? Email [email protected] and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line.
I’ll just be blatantly honest. I hated this season. I thought it was bland and well, some episodes were just plain stupid. But I stuck with it, on to season three.
Same….I found some episodes to be boring. But as stated on to season 3 I guess.
How about Javi? Is he dead? We never saw his corpse, just the dog going to town on him…
He’s dead. They dragged his body out. There was a blood trail.
Eh, not necessarily according to another site’s post mortem. Icy Bob 3?
Wait…WHAT?!!!😱
That’s my guess. A super neurotic Icy Bob who has a panic attack before and after every excursion. Should be fun. Plus, just as Javi said, Wilford needs engineers. Without Javi, he’s the only engineer on the train and he hates being the one to drive. The Headwoods will have Javi chained up to the helm within days.
I love love this show. I can’t get enough. Even though season 1 was way more action packed. Ruth is an amazing character. And I wish Lj would die a slow death. Anyways I really hope season 3 won’t be the last. I want it to go on forever.
I think they didn’t really know what to do with LJ given the plot of this season but they must have ideas for her for the future and where things are ultimately going and that’s why they’re keeping her around. I can’t think of any other reason, at least. Maybe they’re going to put her into an Alex-surrogate role with Wilford next season, like him trying to replace her with LJ, and I can see how that could potentially be interesting. But who knows. Maybe they just really like the actress and want to keep her employed.
This show has never been boring. Cant wait for season 3…its been soooooo long!! Only thing that has kept me going since Game of Thrones departed.
Ugh, I hate this uncertainty concerning Jennifer’s character. Why can’t he just plainly state the facts, this whole nonsense of “I can’t for sure say she is dead” but at the same time “Jennifer is coming back” is frustrating and maddening as hell. Literally the only reason I started watching the show in the first place was because of Jennifer.
The show started promising enough, but IMO the second season was just bad and stupid.
Agree Jennifer is the heart and brain of this show
The only reason I’ve watched this show is for Jennifer Connelly. If she only comes back in flashbacks, etc. then I won’t bother with season 3. To me, the 2 best episodes so far were when she interrogated Josie and when she was at the research station alone. I find Daveed Diggs to be a really terrible actor and I’ve hated seeing so much of him. Thank God for Sean Bean! He always gives a great performance. But without Jennifer back, I’m gone.
Seemed really obvious that Jennifer’s availability was limited this season, for whatever reason. And that was very much to the detriment of the show, although I still thought it was a really great season. Honestly, she’s such a good actress and her character is so compelling that when she’s around, it’s basically her show. Layton even gets lost, feeling like a supporting player, and he’s supposed to be the hero. I’m glad she’ll be back for season 3, and I hope it’s not only for a handful of appearances–but if it is, the show will be fine anyway.
Agree 100%
I agree, Jennifer made the show…it would be a great loss i can honestly say i’m not sure i will keep watching
Loved the finale! Can’t wait for next season.
I loved tonight’s episodes. I’ll miss Javi, from what we saw of him and then what we heard he seems a goner. I knew when we didn’t see Melanie’s frozen body that we hadn’t seen the last of her. It’s like someone on The Walking Dead dying and not seeing their zombie. Totally random having Oz sing. I was thrilled to see at the end that they are in production now. Maybe we’ll get a new season in the fall.
There is no way Melanie is dead. They wouldn’t kill off a fan favorite off-screen. And everyone should know what no body means in a TV show, atleast in most cases.
Maybe she somehow made it to one of these “warm places”.
I confess I am hoping Melanie survives – I honestly thought it would have been a bit more dramatic if Josie, seeing Melanie running for the train, reached down with her new bionic hand and pulled her onto Snowpiercer/Big Alice.
Without Melanie Calvin this show is gonna be tedious as hell!
I just can’t see it maintaining a level of quality without Jennifer Connelly. It really is her show. Daveed Diggs desperately lacks charisma and Layton just isn’t a compelling enough character to carry the show. If Melanie isn’t a regular next season, I doubt I’ll keep watching.
I loved the finale despite knowing that Melanie “died”. Idk I don’t think she’s gone…..yeah she’s been out there for awhile BUT I have a feeling might still be alive. Since they’re saying JC is back for S3. Anyways Layton should’ve kill that Aubery bitch, she got annoying and easliy got back under Wilford’s evilness! She’s weak AF!😡 Layton & Co. Don’t need her anymore. Glad to see Josie back in the fight. Overall great season CAN’T WAIT for S3!!!
Mr. Wilford is Willy Wonka on acid.
‘Golden tickets’ 🎫 to the dinner in S2E9 support this line of thinking
Melanie is by far the most interesting character in the show, so the idea that they would actually kill her off is absurd to me. It just undercuts so much of the show’s potential to even consider it. And if Jennifer Connolly is coming back for season 3, then there I’m thinking she’s in some sort of suspended animation. That would jive with his comment that she’s not necessarily “alive”.
Jennifer Connelly is the heart and the soul of the show, without her is just game of thrones on 2 trains, so TNT if is a money problem give her what she ask!
I did not like season 2 very much…some of my friends actually stopped watching it. I will, however, give season 3 a try.
I liked it. I identify mostly with Melanie so I was very bummed out that she just slipped away into cold, white nothingness. But not I am intrigued by the hints in this interview. (Also why would Melanie choose to walk out into the wilderness to find her death? Hmm… )
I loved season two, but I still can’t believe Audrey switched loyalty to Wilford. He made her cut her wrists for God’s sake. Ruth was amazing, and Javi deserved better than death by dog. My random huge question is…where the hell is Miles?
I find it intriguing that no one has mentioned the parallels with another post-apocalyptic TNT show, “The Last Ship”.
S1 of “The Last Ship” was pretty good, S2 was okay, and then they kind of lost steam beyond that. Like “Snowpiercer,” “The Last Ship” killed off its charismatic female lead at the end of S2 and in S3 and beyond spent more time off the ship than on.
How much more story can you actually tell on a train? But if you drift too far from the train, then you’re just another random show on television.
My sincere hope is that this production team has a definitive end game in mind and finishes this series early rather than drawing it out forever.
Nevertheless, it’s an entertaining show, and Jennifer Connelly is fantastic.